Special tattoo display shirt

ABSTRACT

An apparel device called a Special Tattoo Display Shirt. The device provides unique features and combinations of features that are specifically use to display tattoos for individuals. The Special Tattoo Display Shirt may be used with shoulder tattoos, lower back tattoos and other tattoos for individuals that have a desire to display or “show case” the artwork with unique yet tasteful clothing. The new device presents a simple manner or means for that individual to display their tattoo artwork that may often be covered and hidden by other conventional apparel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/001,793 filed Nov. 2, 2007 by Gary J. Norris and Neeva K.Norris and entitled Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a Special Tattoo Display Shirt. Particularlythis new Special Tattoo Display Shirt is related to devices and methodsto permit a person to display or show their tattoos with a conventionalshirt or garment that has an aperture or opening over the respectivetattoo. This Special Tattoo Display Shirt is a new and unique feature toadd to various clothing garments and apparel that provide an effective,practical and economical way to display and “show” the tattoo of theindividual. The preferred and alternative embodiments are describedbelow.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

In the apparel industry, statistics show that there are diverse andexpanding markets for various garments which have unique features“built-in”. Designer jeans, tops and jackets with distinct and uniquefeatures garner significant market position. These industry indicatorsshow the apparel industry as one of the fastest growing sub sectors inthe entire U.S. economy.

A. Introduction of the Problems Addressed

In this industry, there are many designs for apparel. This is a crowdedindustry with “fads” that come to be popular quickly, then fade away.The new Special Tattoo Display shirt differs from other apparel in thatit complements tattoos. Tattoos have historically been around forcenturies, however methods to display them with apparel have not. Thefeatures provided by the Norris invention address this shortcoming ofother apparel by providing a simple, yet most way to display one or moretattoos. It is believed that this shirt device is made with improvedconfigurations and physical features to provide more functionality whencompared to other currently utilized shirts and apparel for use withtattoos. The particular combinations of materials and features areunique and novel and are not anticipated by prior art. Likewise, use ofa Special Tattoo Display Shirt provides significant benefits compared toprior art devices.

B. Prior Art

The historical technology focused mainly on garment devices thatshowcased tattoos with other means than a plain, uncovered aperture asseen with the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. Examples of prior displaydevices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,542 issued to Simmons (1996) andentitled “Tattoo-like effect apparel”. This invention teaches a garmentmade of a material which is opaque when dry and substantiallytranslucent when wet for displaying, when in a wet state, tattoo-likeeffects of a second opaque material. The garment may include panelsunder or over an outer shell of the opaque/translucent material forproviding tattoo-like designs. No anticipation of uncovered apertures oropenings is taught. The apparel creates special fabrics which alsoincrease the cost of the manufactured apparel. Further, the new Norrisinvention displays the tattoo whether the garment is wet or dry.

A further and more recent example of a tattoo display garment is shownby Danzy in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,476 (1999) and entitled “Article ofclothing including at least one transparent patch”. This teaches a lineof clothing having at least one through hole. Secured to the throughhole is a transparent material. This transparent material can be eitherclear, colorized, or include magnification properties, for providing afinal product which can be customized by the needs and desires of thewearer. The use of transparent material provides a final product whichwill show case and accentuate tattoos located on an individual. TheNorris device removes the need for a transparent device over theaperture. It highlights the tattoo without causing the additionalexpense of the transparent or translucent patch or the secondaryoperation of attaching the additional part.

As far as known, there is no other Special Tattoo Display Shirt at thepresent time which fully provides these improvements and functionalcharacteristics as the present Special Tattoo Display Shirt. It isbelieved that this device is made with physical features to provide moreunique functionality when compared to other currently utilized designershirts and other apparel for displaying tattoos.

The particular combinations of materials and features are unique andnovel and are not anticipated by prior art. Likewise, use of a SpecialTattoo Display Shirt provides significant benefits compared to prior artapparel devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A Special Tattoo Display Shirt has been developed and designed toprovide a unique feature and combination that is specifically related todisplaying tattoos for persons and individuals. The Special TattooDisplay Shirt may be used with shoulder tattoos, lower back tattoos andother tattoos for individuals that have a desire to display or “show”the artwork with unique yet tasteful clothing. The new device presents asimple manner or means for that individual to modestly and tastefullydisplay their tattoo artwork that may often be covered by otherconventional apparel. The device or apparel is made of high qualitymaterials.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt iscomprised of a unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt,blouse, sweatshirt or other means of a top coupled with specialfeatures, such as apertures or cut-a-ways that may display the tattoos.These may be for shoulder tattoos, lower waist tattoos, or both.

Objects and Advantages

There are several objects and advantages of the Special Tattoo DisplayShirt. There are currently no known shirt or apparel “top” devices thatare effective at providing the objects of this invention.

The following TABLE A summarizes various advantages and objects of theSpecial Tattoo Display Shirt. This list is exemplary and not limiting tothe many advantages offered by this new device.

TABLE A Various Benefits, Advantages and Objects This device: ITEMBENEFIT 1. Tastefully displays tattoos and the like. 2. Provides a meansto merge the tattoo display with traditional clothing. 3. Is safe andmade of common apparel materials. 4. Requires no new processes formanufacture. 5. Is adaptable to various sizes (Small, Medium, Large andextra Large . . . and Plus sizes) and low to high volume productions. 6.Is easy to package. 7. Can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, orE- commerce internet sales from a website. 8. Is easy to transport.

Noteworthy to one is that other advantages and additional features ofthe present Special Tattoo Display Shirt will be more apparent from theaccompanying drawings and from the full description of the device. Forone skilled in the art of clothing and apparel, it is readily understoodthat the features shown in the examples with this device are readilyadapted for improvement to other types of devices for use with appareland clothing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate a preferred and alternativeembodiments for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt. The drawings togetherwith the summary description given above and a detailed descriptiongiven below serve to explain the principles of the Special TattooDisplay Shirt. It is understood, however, that the device is not limitedto only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the general preferredembodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIGS. 2A through 2G are sketches that show details and features of thepreferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

FIGS. 3A through 3F are additional sketches that show additional typesand exemplary configurations of apertures for the Special Tattoo DisplayShirt.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are sketches that show a prototype of the SpecialTattoo Display Shirt with its unique features.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targetedto be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following list refers to the drawings:

Ref # Description 30 General tattoo display garment/apparel 31 Generalview of front of garment/apparel 32 General view of back ofgarment/apparel 33 Aperture to reveal/display right shoulder bladetattoo 34 Recessed scoop to reveal/display waist tattoo 35 Aperture toreveal/display left shoulder blade tattoo 40 Circle or oval aperture 41Polygon aperture 42 Trapezoid aperture 43 Star burst aperture 44Triangle aperture 60 Prototype garment 70 Waist tattoo 71 Right shouldertattoo 72 Left shoulder tattoo

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention presented is a Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30.Particularly the preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo DisplayShirt 30 is related to devices and methods that provide a uniquecombination which has been specifically configured to show or displaythe tattoo of an individual. The preferred embodiment of the SpecialTattoo Display Shirt 30 is comprised of a unique combination of anapparel device such as a shirt or top coupled with special features,such as apertures or cut-a-ways 33, 34, 35 that may display the tattoos.

There is shown in FIGS. 1-5 a complete details of the concept and anoperative embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. In thedrawings and illustrations, one notes well that the FIGS. 1-4 detail thespecial configuration and FIG. 5 shows the potential operative use ofthis invention.

The advantages for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt are listed above inthe introduction. Succinctly the benefits are the device:

-   -   1. Tastefully displays tattoos and the like.    -   2. Provides a means to merge the tattoo display with traditional        clothing.    -   3. Is safe and made common apparel materials.    -   4. Requires no new processes for manufacture.    -   5. Is adaptable to various sizes (Small, Medium, and Large) and        low to high volume productions.    -   6. Is easy to package.    -   7. Can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, or E-commerce        internet sales from a website.    -   8. Is easy to transport.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 iscomprised of unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirt ortop coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways thatmay display the tattoos.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of theSpecial Tattoo Display Shirt 30. The drawings together with the summarydescription given above and a detailed description given below serve toexplain the principles of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. It isunderstood, however, that the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 is notlimited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the generally preferredembodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. The front view 31and the rear view 32 are both shown in the sketches. Details are shownbelow.

FIGS. 2A through 2G are sketches that show details and features of thepreferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIG. 2Ademonstrates a plain garment without unique features. FIGS. 2B through2G show various positions and quantities of the shoulder blade apertures33, 35 to reveal and show a left, right, or both shoulder tattoo(s). Theplacements of these apertures correspond to the location of the tattooon the person's body. The recessed scoop 34 on the rear side of theapparel is contiguous to the lower back of a person and serves to revealand show a waist tattoo—sometimes colloquially called a “skank” tattoo.The apertures 33 and the scoop 34 are without any added covering ormaterial. These are simply created by a removal of material or a scoopcut in the shirt. The edges of the openings 33 and scoop 34 may be thenbe hemmed or treated with an anti-fray material that is commonly usedwith the respective fabrics of the shirt 30. The fabric of the SpecialTattoo Display Shirt 30 is made of common apparel materials. Theseinclude natural and man-made materials. These include cotton, rayon,silk, polyester, and a plethora of man-made composite materials. Theseare illustrative materials and not limiting to the scope and spirit ofthe materials used with the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

FIGS. 3A through 3F are sketches that show additional types of aperturesfor the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIG. 3A shows a general,undefined aperture to show or demonstrate a shoulder tattoo. FIG. 3Bshows generally a circle or oval (elliptical space) aperture 40including a circle as an aperture. FIG. 3C shows generally an apertureas a regular polygon 41 such as an hexagon or octagon or equal. FIG. 3Dshows an irregular-sided polygon known as a trapezoid and FIG. 3E showsa starburst. Finally, as an example and not as a limitation FIG. 3Fshows and demonstrates a triangle to form the aperture.

FIG. 4A through 4C demonstrate sketches of prototypes and directions toconsider. The general prototype garment 60 is shown in the views withthe aperture 33 and the waist configuration 34. Either way, the detaileddata for the whole configuration has been shown approximately in thespecification and accompanying drawings. A person well skilled in theart will realize both the uniqueness and common features for this newSpecial Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targetedto be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 and are discussedin the Operations section, below.

All of the details mentioned here are exemplary and not limiting. Othercomponents specific to describing a Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 maybe added as a person having ordinary skill in the clothing and appareldevices well appreciates.

Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

The preferred embodiment for the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 hasbeen described in the above paragraphs. The manner of how the deviceoperates is described below. One skilled in the art of clothing andapparel will note that the description above and the operation describedhere must be taken together to fully illustrate the concept of theSpecial Tattoo Display Shirt 30.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 iscomprised of a unique combination of an apparel device such as a shirtor top coupled with special features, such as apertures or cut-a-ways33, 34, 35 that may display the tattoos.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are sketches that show the types of tattoos targetedto be displayed by the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. These areexamples of how to use the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30. FIGS. 5Athrough 5C show waist tattoos that may be revealed and shown with theunique garment 30 by the recessed scoop feature 34. FIGS. 5D and 5E showshoulder tattoos that may be revealed and shown with the unique garment30 by the left or right shoulder blade apertures 33, 35.

With the above description it is to be understood that the SpecialTattoo Display Shirt 30 is not to be limited to only the disclosedembodiment. The features of the Special Tattoo Display Shirt 30 areintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the spirit and scope of the description.

1. A Special Tattoo Display Shirt comprised of (a) an apparel device foruse by a person, the apparel Device made of a quality material; and (b)the apparel having one or more features wherein the features of thespecial apparel device may be used to display tattoos on variouslocations of the person's body in a modest and tasteful manner.
 2. Thedevice according to claim 1 wherein the apparel device is a top.
 3. Thedevice according to claim 2 wherein the top is a shirt.
 4. The deviceaccording to claim 2 wherein the top is a blouse.
 5. The deviceaccording to claim 2 wherein the top is a sweatshirt.
 6. The deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the feature is a scoop of removed materialon a portion of the device that is contiguous with the back of theperson wherein the scoop permits the display of a lower back tattoo. 7.The device according to claim 1 wherein the features are a scoop and oneor more apertures in the material wherein the aperture are in a specialplace on the apparel.
 8. The device according to claim 1 wherein thefeature is one or more apertures in a place on the apparel device thatcorresponds to a location of a tattoo on the body of the person.
 9. Thedevice according to claim 8 wherein the location of the tattoo is on theleft shoulder blade.
 10. The device according to claim 8 wherein thelocation of the tattoo is on the right shoulder blade.
 11. The deviceaccording to claim 8 wherein the location of the tattoo is on both theleft and right shoulder blades.
 12. The device according to claim 1wherein the feature is an aperture in the material that is of a specialconfiguration.
 13. The device according to claim 12 wherein theconfiguration is an ellipse.
 14. The device according to claim 13wherein the ellipse is a circle.
 15. The device according to claim 12wherein the configuration is a regular polygon.
 16. The device accordingto claim 7 wherein the configuration is an irregular polygon.